1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wide area medical information system and a method for use thereof by which a patient can receive examination and treatment without going to a doctor at a remote location and more particularly to a wide area medical information system and a method for use thereof by which a patient at any location in the country can receive a remote examination and treatment service from a doctor selected optionally by the patient or can receive various related services from optional medical facilities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, when a patient desires to receive examination and treatment, it is necessary for him to go to a hospital where a doctor is located, for example, even if only for a five minute consultation or queries for diagnosis. Moreover, it is always necessary to wait in a pharmacy or for an accountant for several minutes each time. Another problem is that a patient can go only to a hospital close to his house due to geographical restrictions and cannot select a hospital. Particularly, in a depopulated area such as a remote island, it is difficult to receive satisfactory examination and treatment.
To solve these problems, examination and treatment at home in which a hospital and a patient house are connected electronically to each other via a communication network so that the patient at home can receive examination and treatment services from a doctor working in the hospital has been tentatively tried recently. Specifically, a method for realizing examination and treatment at home is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 3-198832 (Prior art 1) and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 4-15035 (Prior art 2).
Furthermore, remote examination and treatment services in which a plurality of medical facilities which are located far from each other are connected and information regarding patients including image information is sent and received has been tried experimentally. A medical image transmission system having an image transmission means and reception means for that purpose is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2-218336 (Prior art 3).
The aforementioned prior arts 1 to 3 realize examination and treatment services from a remote area by the communication process of information using a communication network connecting a patient house and a hospital or hospitals existing at a distance from each other.
However, in the aforementioned prior art, it is difficult to simultaneously select a plurality of doctors for conducting an examination and providing treatment at home or in a remote area by a patient. The reason is that one-to-one connection between a patient house and a predetermined hospital or between specific hospitals is basic. Connection among a plurality of hospitals is also basic. Therefore, it is impossible at all to select a doctor for each clinic section by a patient.
Furthermore, the aforementioned prior art pay attention only to sending and receiving of clinic information between a doctor and a patient or between doctors. Therefore, medical treatment related services to a patient other than examination and treatment are not taken into account.